6.11.06

Thoughts From the Weekend

Watford got their first win of the season and get out of the regulation zone. Yayness! 2-nil over Middlesbrough gaining a key three points and gaining some confidence in the process. They've been playing well all year and now appear to be a team that might just give the top teams fits and the middle teams a few shocks. And we won’t talk about the injury to star striker Marlon King that’s going to rule him out for the season.

After watch the Badgers handle Penn State today I’m pretty convinced that new head coach Brett Bielema is the best young football mind in college football. What he’s done with the Wisconsin defense has been nothing short of impressive. The Badger’s have given up more than 17 points only twice so far this year (ten games) and have held their opponents to 10 points or less in five of those games. While everyone is talking up P.J. Hill, who I might add has been excellent, it’s been the defense that has gotten this Badger team to 9-1.

Previous head coach, Barry Alvarez, turned the Wisconsin program around in the early 90s. As a coach, he was good, but he was probably a better recruiter than tactician. Bielema seems like he’s an outstanding tactician and thus far, the kids have responded to him. How he does as recruiter remains to be seen, but it looks like Alvarez’s second greatest gift to Wisconsin was choosing Bielema as his successor. Because he sure seems like a winner.

And man oh man are there a lot of one loss teams in the nation right now… ten by my count plus the five undefeated teams. Crazy.

I know this might be mean, but let’s say we wake up tomorrow to read on Yahoo! that Paris Hilton ODed last night on coke. What would our thought process be the rest of the day? Would we make jokes? Would we just kind of go… oh that’s sad? Would we even care? Seriously, how would respond to Paris Hilton dying? She’s easily the most bizarre and useless ‘celebrity’ of my lifetime. So if she died, would we even really care? Okay, I’ve thought way too much about this. Chuck Klosterman should write an essay on that.

I know we’re all sick of Barry Bonds, but he’s easily the most interesting story of the winter. Does anyone want him? And if a team wants him, will he be willing to go to say, Tampa Bay? Seriously, if what they’re saying is true about the Giants unsure about bringing Bonds back, then this will get really interesting. What does Bonds do? It’s going to be interesting to follow. Of course the media (cough, ESPN, cough) has covered Bonds to the point where we could all careless and hope that everyone involved spontaneously combusts. And now that this story has finally become sort of interesting, we all could careless about it. Nice job ESPN, you blow hard morons.

Anyway, Bonds clearly wants to come back and break Aaron’s record, I’m assuming, out of stubbornness and spite towards the entire country. Everyone hates him, and he hates everyone. If he’s sitting on754 or 755 on the road, and everyone at the park is booing the crap out of him… I mean that would have to be the second most surreal moment of our lives right? People hoping that he doesn’t hit a home run to break the greatest record in all of sports… crazy. You’ve got to wonder if there has ever been a situation like this in this country before. It’s sort of amazing when you think about it… Bush is probably more liked than Bonds in America right now (btw, how funny is it to see some of these Dem political ads where they show the GOP candidate with Bush? Who would have thunk that being seen with the President would be along the same lines as being seen with John Mark Karr?)

We’re pretty sure that if we ever have to decide between “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” and “Tears of a Clown” our head would explode. This are the two greatest songs of all time right? I mean, you pretty much can’t do better than Jackie in “Higher and Higher” and they throw horns in just to take it to a Heavenly level. Meanwhile “Tears of a Clown” has a beat, rhythm, and hook that is out of this world.

Simmons’ wrote about Chad Johnsonstarting the Mohawk trend on Friday but… ummm Bill, not really. First off, the Mohawk has been living quite well in European soccer for a few years, with Beckham’s fauxhawk inspiring half of England to grow one in 2002 (and eventually about five hipsters wearing it here in the States in late 2002 and into 2003 including VFLOAB). And now, you’re almost guaranteed to see some white frat boy sporting the fauxhawk if you go to a bar. Of course the fauxhawk became uncool in early 2005 but whatever. That’s why we have white people in America, just to completely beat a dead horse.

Anyway what was I saying? Oh Mohawks… did Bill forget about Wes from the Real World: Austin? If anyone brought the full, shaved head, Mohawk back, it was Wes and maybe one or two white linebackers in the Big Ten (I could have sworn that A.J. Hawk was droppin’ the ‘hawk last year; and I know some white linebacker on Wisconsin has a green Mohawk). So instead of praising Johnson, give Wes some love Bill.

And yes, Chad Johnson is the greatest thing to happen to the NFL since the 1985 Bears. Why he doesn’t get more love I’ll never know.

I don’t like talking fantasy with people who are in my league just because:a) It really is dorky when you think about itb) Does anyone care about anyone else’s fantasy team? Seriously, it’s probably the most selfish ‘thing’ in the world. I could careless about everyone else’s fantasy team, but my fantasy team is probably one of the 5 most important things in my life right now. Sad but true.

Anyway, I needed to pick up a defense this week since the Panthers are on a bye. So I’m going though the Ds that are free agents, and either everyone stinks or they’re playing the Rams/Chiefs/Chargers. So I’m screwed… and then I realize, hey the Bills are at home playing the Packers… and that means Brett Favre on the road in November!! And since Favre has regressed back to ‘second year with the Packers’ Brett Favre, I’m excited. There’s nothing better in sports than rooting for the Favre forced throw pick… and now, for the first time I ever, I’ll be getting more than just personal pleasure out of it. I’ll be getting fantasy points too!LifeIsGood

(Note: The game has come and gone, and that was a very enjoyable experience).